To Begin Again
by Candlynn
Summary: From the beginning of James' and Lily's lives to the day they receive their Hogwarts Letters. This is the first in a series of Fanfictions that I am writing about Harry Potter. It starts from the day of Lily's birth to the day Harry dies. Abandoned
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey guys, this is my first proper fanfiction, so I'm not quite used to this, so please bear with me. This is the first part of a long fanfiction I wish to write. This is one where Lily and James survive. I've always wondered what would've happened if Lily and James survived. But I also wanted to explore their years before and during Hogwarts. I also want to explore what happened after the Battle of Hogwarts, but with Lily and James being a part of it, if you get what I mean. So this is going to be the first in a series of stories. This first one is going to be about Lily and James' lives before Hogwarts, the next during their years at Hogwarts, and the third about after the left Hogwarts to when Harry arrives at Hogwarts. The one after that will be about Harry's return to Hogwarts, with changes considering his parents will be alive and finally will be from the Battle of Hogwarts to Harry's death. Sorry about the massive novelish author's note. I just wanted to explain this all to you first before you started reading.**

**Disclaimer- **I do not own anything to do with Harry Potter. I never will, and to tell you the truth I am glad not to. I do not envy J.K Rowling and her popularity. This is all for my own enjoyment.

**Prologue**

It's funny how long our lives go for, to us. But to others our lives are short and insignificant. I've always wanted to make a difference in my life. And I believe I have. So I want to tell you my story, but it's not just my story, it is the story of many more people.

This story started long ago, before the time when I start this, but I think that it would take a lot longer than my final few weeks to tell you. So I think I shall tell you from the most important part. To where it all began for me and my family.

Life is not a simple thing, it is fearful and strange and something you wish not to encounter. Ever. I have given life to three beautiful young children. And every time I look at them I can't believe that they are here today because of me.

My children are all grown up now, all so beautiful, and I will never give them up. I still care for them, still call into them every day and make sure that they are ok, make sure that they are doing fine. They say a parent's job is never done. And it is true, my job will never be done. Not even when I breathe my last breath.

My children are all married now, and I am glad that they found a better life than we did. Our teenage years were horrible, but I fought to give my babies what they have now. I have grandchildren you know, seven beautiful grandchildren.

I tell this story to them every time they come to stay with me. I do not tell them it was their family who were the heroes. That's for them to find out when they get older, but I tell them the horrors. I want them to understand, so that they will never do what the Dark Lord did to us.

Sometimes I fear that he is still out there, still waiting for me, wanting to kill us all. We all are fearful, he may be dead but his spirit still lives. That's what I believe. And we're scared, terrified to drop our guard again. But hopefully if we tell enough people the horrors of our past will not come again.

But I know what they say, history always repeats itself. It gives me so much fear to hear those words. I hate it so much, the fact that there may not be enough people to fight the bad guys this time. Or maybe the bad guys have finally learned and they will be smarter and more powerful and it hurts, it's hard.

I don't want wizards and witches to be the only people to read this. I know that these things happen in the Muggle world to, and I know they will think this a piece of fiction but I want them to read something that tells them of the fears of war. I want to tell them something, a lesson that I learnt.

And I learnt many lessons, so maybe if I write this, they will learn their lesson too. I hope that's what happens, I wish that is what they will do.

I am not the best person to write this, but I will try, I will try to be as true to the story as possible, but please bear with me, please understand, that this is hard. This is a true story and I will now have to relive every moment of the most horrible times of my life.

The start of this is not my story, nor was I there to witness it, but I've heard tales and pieced as much together as possible. This happened years before I was born, but I knew people who were alive, so please I hope you understand that this may not be the exact storyline.

I learnt all this from the people involved, particularly Sirius and Remus, before their deaths. I miss them all so much. Everyone who died in that war hold a special part in my heart, and I will never let them go. Everyday I weep for Fred, Made-Eye, Colin, Tonks, everyone, and all those children that lost so much innocence.

I think that was the hardest part for me. Watching the innocence leave those children, and it makes me cry. I am so glad that my children and grandchildren knew innocence, and they kept it for a lot longer than I did.

I lost my innocence that first year at Hogwarts. I lost that naïve hope that everything will work out perfectly, that life is one big fairytale. I saw horrors very few of you can even imagine, and so I tell you this story so maybe, maybe you will understand that life is not a fairytale, it is a daily struggle, and everything you do, will affect you, eventually.

So I sit, on my death bed. I have three weeks left to live, and so I tell the tale from the beginning, because it is time the world knows.

**A/N: Ok so I know it was really short, and I know that it was very soppy and there was no real story in it. I did not feel comfortable starting it with the first chapter, just because the first chapter seems to be a bit of a sudden. It's hard to explain what I mean, it just did not fit without this prologue. I would also like to say that the character writing this prologue is not who you will expect it to be. I personally dislike this character, don't ask me why because I'm not sure. So writing from this point of view was really difficult. The rest of the story will not be them talking, it will be in third person. Just to make that clear, this isn't really too important to the storyline, other than to give a bit of an introduction.**

**Sorry for all the long notes, I felt it was important to tell you those things before we get started. And I am really sorry it was such a short chapter, but it is difficult to write a longish one to fit the prologue.**


	2. Chapter 1: The Evans'

**A/N: So I decided to write this one straight away and get it up as soon as possible. I'll have you know that I haven't written one of my Theatre Studies assignments, which was due Monday, but I can't be bothered so I'll write this instead. Hope you enjoy **

**Chapter One: The Evans'**

It had been a long and difficult labour, the stubborn child just didn't want to be born, but at last on the 30th of January 1960, Lillian Evans was born.

'She's beautiful,' Marie Evans gushed out. She was completely entranced by her daughter, and how beautiful she really looked. 'Don't you think Gavin?'

'She's gorgeous, our precious daughter.' He smiled down on his youngest daughter, his floppy red hair falling in his eyes.

'Mummy!' called a young girl from the doorway. 'Mummy are you ok? Mummy I came earlier, but I was told to go away, that you needed your rest.'

'Mummy is just fine Petunia darling, now come along in, and where is your brother?' Marie smiled down on her oldest child. Four year old Petunia was a skinny little thing, her birth had been difficult as well, but they hadn't had as many complications.

Just then the door opened to an older lady, her hair was slightly grey, but you could still see her natural black colouring. Her face was wrinkled, but in a grandmotherly way. She was shortish, with green eyes, which sparkled brightly. In her arms she held a little boy.

'Marie, darling, may I see her?' She smiled down at Lily, and handed the young boy over to Gavin. She scooped up Lily in her arms, and started making cooing noises to her. Marie smiled up at her mother in law, who already seemed to adore her young grandchild.

'Georgiana,' the grandmotherly woman looked up at Marie. 'I trust that Danny wasn't any trouble.'

'Not at all Marie, not at all. The boy is a little angel, and god knows I love him very much. For a two year old, that boy has a lot of energy.' Marie smiled again and looked up at her husband, holding their son close.

She smiled up at Georgiana, and couldn't supress a sigh of joy when she looked into the face of her beautiful Lily. And lastly she turned to Petunia, and smiling she held out her arms. Petunia ran into her mother arms, and climbed up onto the bed.

'Have a look at your sister Tuny. Are you glad to have a sister? Somebody to share with, who isn't going to be as annoying as Danny.' Gavin gave a chuckle as he said this.

'She doesn't look pretty, did I look like that Daddy?' Tuny looked up at her father in alarm, hoping he will say no. She was already hating the attention this little baby was getting.

'Of course you did hunny. But now you are the most beautiful girl in the world, and your sister will grow up to be as well.'

It was a happy day for all of them. The birth had many complications, that the family didn't know yet, but for that one moment everything was perfect, and how it should be.

Not everything is perfect. That was Marie Evans' first thought when she heard the news. The birth of her latest child had been so difficult that she would no longer be able to have children.

It did not matter. She had three beautiful children, all of them were healthy and safe, and all of them were absolute angels. She held her youngest close to her and kissed the top of her head. Marie hoped that the baby's hair would stay the colour it was. A beautiful red, that reminded her so much of Gavin.

Petunia and Danny had blonde hair, like Marie, but their eyes were different. Petunia had beady looking brown eyes, and was the spitting image of Marie, and Danny had beautiful, large, blue eyes, and all of his features came from Gavin.

But Lily, as far as they could tell, looked exactly like Gavin's mother, Georgiana, the only difference, the vibrant red of her hair, a shade that you had to see to believe. Her green eyes, shone like emeralds, every time she smiled, and Marie had become completely entranced by the small child.

She was so happy with her life, her family; she felt that nothing could go wrong, that nothing could change. And she was glad, that she has found a place. That she had gotten away, and she was determined to have a perfect family.

Now the Evans family were not the wealthiest, but they weren't hard to do at all. They lived a comfortable life, in a small house, in Privet Drive. Number four Privet Drive (this house in fact was left to Petunia in her parents will.)

Georgiana lived with the family, and brought up the three children, while Gavin and Marie, once she was well enough, worked to make a living and keep enough money to spoil their children.

Marie had no contact with her family, her father had abused her as a child and her mother had died a couple of years back. She did not mourn her mother. She had been a cruel, horrible woman, and her death had come to no surprise to anyone. Her mother had been an alcoholic and a drug addict.

Marie's sister had disappeared when Marie turned twenty-four, and nobody had ever heard from her. Marie strongly suspected that her sister was heavily caught up with some gangs, and preferred not to have contact with her.

Marie's life, before meeting Gavin, had been horrible, and she herself had been a heavy smoker, and had done drugs for a while. But after meeting Gavin, Marie had forced herself to quit all that and make a new life for herself, and she had been welcomed with open arms to the Evans family.

Gavin's father had been a lovely man, well to do, and very friendly. There had not been one person who disliked Old Man Evans, as the local kids used to call him. He was sweet, and kind, and accepted everyone, no matter who they were. It was he who first introduced Marie to Gavin.

Daniel Evans, was a social worker, who worked with many teenagers throughout the local area, and he had taken Marie into his wing from the very start. He treated her like a daughter, and knew that Marie wanted to change so badly. He struggled to find a way to help her, though. She had lived all her life in poverty, surrounded by a horrible family, whose influence had destroyed her life. And it was Daniel's job to rebuild her life.

Daniel introduced Marie to Gavin one day, when he was visiting Daniel's work. Georgiana had fought with Gavin and sent him out of the house and eighteen year old Gavin had taken off to his father, hoping his father had finished early and would take him for a drive.

Instead he found Marie, who was bawling her eyes out, outside his father's office. Gavin had immediately taken pity on the broken girl and stopped to talk to her. He sat with her for over an hour, waiting for his father to come out, and he just as his anger started to get the better of him, Daniel had opened the door.

Gavin immediately went off at Daniel, calling him selfish and making him feel guilty, for leaving Marie so upset and broken outside. Daniel eventually managed to calm Gavin and down, and told him that Daniel had heard Gavin comforting Marie, and hoped that he could help her out.

From that day forth Gavin and Daniel were the only two people Marie trusted. She tried to work hard, and make a living but it was difficult. Gavin quickly fell in love with the beautiful girl and believed that she was the only one for him, and she was wary of getting into a relationship.

Only days after her eighteenth birthday, Gavin, who was then twenty, asked her to move in with him. He had bought a beautiful home in Privet Drive, and wanted Marie to stay with him, so that she could build her life in a better environment. Marie reluctantly agreed, as she knew she was better off living there, than in the group home she was in at the time.

The first couple of months in that house was hard for the pair, Marie felt that she should be the boss of the house, but was also too strong minded to take on the jobs that were usually left for the woman. But Gavin had no clue how to clean, or cook or do anything of that sort, and the two eventually ended up having many arguments.

Inevitably Marie fell in love with Gavin, and not wanting him to know, she started making life pure hell for him. He was at the ends of his wits and a complete mess. One night they got into a full blown fight and she accidently blurted out that she loved him.

Well, he immediately forgave her for everything and the couple got together, and were married within two years.

At twenty-four, Marie had her first child, Petunia. The baby was very sickly, and almost died in the first couple of weeks, but the couple fought to keep their eldest alive, and eventually Petunia was healthy enough to leave the hospital. Ecstatic the family hosted a huge party to welcome the birth of such a lovely child.

A year later, Marie was heavily pregnant with another child. The family went out on an outing together. Marie and Daniel in one car, and Gavin, Georgiana and Petunia, in another. Their day was wonderful, the family had a wonderful time.

Unfortunately the fairytale wasn't to last. Driving home, Daniel and Marie's car was involved in a car crash, and both were sent to hospital with serious injuries. The family were shattered, trying their best, praying for the two to pull through.

Marie, was the luckiest. When Daniel had realised what was about to happen, he had thrown himself over the woman, in an effort to save her life. As a result she had the lesser injuries, though her baby was lost.

Daniel was put on life support, and the family waited, and hoped that he would survive. Unfortunately it was not to be, and after two weeks on life support the family felt it was time to let him go. Georgiana was completely distraught and Gavin decided that she could not live by herself.

At first it was only a temporary arrangement but it soon became permanent when it became clear that Marie and Gavin did not have enough money to keep both houses.

Within a year, Marie had a baby boy, and he was named Daniel, or Danny after his grandfather. The boy was healthy and bright eyed. Adored among the whole family, Petunia included, Danny quickly started to mend the broken family.

And now, two years on, the family had another perfect child, beautiful Lily. The family were all very close knit, and they cared for one another more than anything. Life, to them, was as perfect as it could be.

**A/N: Ok sorry, another short chapter, I know. The next chapter will probs be short as well, and may even go up tonight, and that details James' birth and his family situation. That's the idea about these first two chapters. After that I will be going a year at a time, and detailing the major events that happen in their lives, hopefully in detail. I know this first fanfiction is going to be a bit boring, but I really want to explore their first years a bit more. And I know that it is never mentioned that Lily had a brother, but he becomes important later on, and I needed a character who was close to Lily, so a brother it is.**

**And finally, if you don't mind, could you please review, just a quick word, because I want to make sure you are liking it, and I can answer any questions that need to be cleared up. Unless the answer will give a way part of the plot.**

**Thanks guys.**


	3. Chapter 2: The Potters

**A/N: Ok so I think I'm on a roll. I'm kinda hooked, and I'm almost on holidays, so I think I'll get this first, boring part out of the way pretty quickly. Then we can get into some more exciting stuff. If I can write some exciting stuff. So please stick with me. This chapter is going to be structured like the last one, with James' birth, and then a little of his mother's thoughts and then a bit of history on his family's lives before him.**

**Disclaimer-** I know I forgot this in the last chapter so, for this chapter and last chapter: I do not own Harry Potter, or most of these characters, and I am not J.K Rowling

**Chapter 2: The Potters**

It was a miracle. That was a simple way to put it. A pure miracle. Adrian Potter looked down at his son. The man couldn't help but smile. After all the trouble he had a beautiful baby boy. He looked to his wife. Mara's face was peaceful as she slept.

He held the boy closer to him. 'James,' he whispered, and the boy's eyes opened. Adrian held the boy for another hour, oblivious to everything else happening around him.

The first thing Mara saw when she opened her eyes was her husband, holding her precious baby boy in her arms. She smiled at the boy, knowing she would love him just because he was that much more special.

At that moment the door opened, and in ran her brother, Jayden, with his wife Fay. Both were absolutely elated, and behind them ran in their children. Well they weren't children anymore, the teenagers smiled down at their baby cousin.

Tania was the first to hold him. The eldest daughter, at 17, was so happy to finally have a boy in the family. Mara noted that the girl seemed to be getting a bit chubby. The twins, 15, were smiling wickedly at Mara.

Mara had to wonder why twins were always so mischievous. She remembered the twins from her year level at Hogwarts. Brayden and Benjamin, both had died just a few years back, but had been trouble makers. Unfortunately, they seemed to always get Mara into a lot of trouble back at school.

Kara and Kayla were exactly the same, though twice as cunning. Mara feared the day the two of them were able to do magic outside Hogwarts. She knew there would be no end to the tricks then.

All five of them, Jayden, Fay, Tania and the twins, doted over James. He was, in their eyes, perfect. And all of them knew how much it meant to Mara and Adrian to finally have their baby. The two of them had wanted this for years.

Not long after the four of them left and Adrian's sister walked in. She smiled brightly at the happy family. Her own husband had died four years ago, and Anna missed him dearly. They had only one child, a girl, named Melissa, who had left home at eighteen and never contacted her mother again.

Anna missed having a child running around the house, getting under her feet. She missed their laughter and their cheerfulness, and she missed making them feel better when they fell over. So James was a welcome addition to the family.

'He looks just like you Adrian. Just like you. You better hope he won't need glasses either. But if he does, you better get him an attractive looking pair. Otherwise he'll grow up to look even more hideous.'

Anna smiled. It was a family in joke to bag Adrian about his poor fashion taste. Adrain's own glasses were hideous. Something everyone, including Adrian, was well aware of. He just couldn't be bothered looking any better and why should he, he already had one of the best jobs, Head of the Aurors.

After Anna left, the two sat with James for hours. Their little miracle had arrived. They were happy and nothing could break that happiness.

Nothing was how Mara had expected. She loved her son more than anything, and was so glad he had come to them. People told her it would be difficult for her to have a baby at her age. They even said that her choice to have James meant he would have something wrong with him. It didn't matter to her, James was James, and he meant the world to her now.

She knew he would get absolutely spoilt. What with an uncle, and two aunts, who absolutely adored him. And three cousins, who would teach him and care for him, no matter the cost. He was the baby of the family, the most loved and nothing could change that.

The Potter's had always been a wealthy family. That Mara knew. Adrian's parents were rich beyond compare, so much that had Adrian chosen, he would have never had to have worked. But Adrian didn't work for money. He became an Auror because that is what he wanted to do. He loved helping the Wizarding World, by finding these dangerous witches and wizards.

Mara's family, in comparison, were very poor, and not very well liked in their community. Her grandfather had been Gellert Grindelwald, and her family had become disgraced. By the time she arrived at Hogwarts, her grandfather had become so notorious, there was nobody who would talk to.

The first couple of weeks at Hogwarts, had Mara crying in the girls bathroom. Although she had been placed in Ravenclaw, thought of as one of the better houses, she had not made any friends. It was after she had been in the bathroom for the third day in a row, did anybody notice her red, swollen eyes.

Adrian, two years her senior, had instantly seen past her name, and her family background, and saw a kind, caring young girl. He made friends with her instantly, and the relationship between the beautiful young Ravenclaw, and the brave Gryffindor, soon became almost legendary.

When Adrian's cousins, Brayden and Benjamin Potter, befriended the young girl, it soon became clear that trouble would always come knocking on the poor girl's door.

The three became as thick as thieves, and being all in the same year level, they were easily able to play tricks. It also helped that while Benjamin was in Gryffindor, the crazy Brayden had been placed in Hufflepuff. This meant that no house was safe, (especially those damn Slytherins).

These friends were the first to unite the three houses. For years there were fights between every house, but the twins and Mara started house unity. Unfortunately, nobody from Slytherin were brave enough to befriend the crazy trio.

Mara sailed through her schooling easily. She was a troublemaker, but found no issue in schoolwork. She never studied but managed to get straight Os in everything, and it annoyed her teachers, not to mention her fellow students, to no end.

Life seemed perfect to Mara, and for many years everyone believed that nobody could have a more perfect life. Her grandfather had been locked away by none other than their precious Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, and everyone hailed her family heroes, for fighting against him.

In her sixth year though, her parents were brutally murdered, and Mara, going through a fierce state of depression, estranged herself from her younger brother, and her then fiancé, Adrian. She played no pranks, and did nothing except lie in bed for days on end.

It took many weeks to pull Mara out of her depression, and after that everyone believed she had changed. She unwisely broke her engagement to Adrian, and dated the older, and handsomer, Tom Marvolo Riddle. It was a short relationship, Mara realised she was dating a man with a cold heart, who only wanted her for her looks, and her magical prowess.

This forced Mara to come to the realisation that she needed to fight her own battles. She refused to have any help from anyone and graduated top of her class. The next two years she spent travelling and seeing the world, while her one time fiancé was studying to become an Auror.

They met again, in France, while Adrian was taking a break from training. They got back to talking terms, and after many arguments, were engaged yet again.

It took them many years to get married, Adrian did not want her to be depressed ever again, and feared it would happen should they get married and he was killed. She was fearful of marriage and did not want to Adrian to know her fears.

Two years later Adrian's parents died, causes unknown. Much suspicion met their deaths. The similarities were like those of Mara's parents' deaths, and everyone believed that Mara had something to do with it. But those rumours eventually faded, when Adrian proposed to her four months later.

The married had a whirlwind wedding, and choosing their career paths, Adrian being and Auror and Mara being a Healer, they set their minds to working and making names for themselves. However, this had a great impact on them later on.

After many years of working Mara finally felt ready to have children. Adrian agreed with her, wanting to continue the family line. They were seen as royal blood, the Potters, and everyone expected the family name to continue.

It soon became clear though, that Mara was infertile. Many doctors, Healers, nearly everyone, had their say in the circumstances. Some believed she had been cursed, while others believed it was a state of her mind. But everyone agreed, she was not suitable to be a Potter. She was needed to continue the family name.

Adrian refused to find a way to continue the family name, and the two of them had become disgraced. They had grown older and older, and still they tried for a child. But it was not to be.

It was not until now, at over fifty, had the Potters finally had the child they had been waiting for. The Wizarding World rejoiced, the Potter family was to continue. Their names were what made them so important, and hope was restored, that possibly the rumours of the old days leaving, were untrue.

**A/N: Ok so guys I know that was even shorter than the last chapter. I didn't know what to write for James' birth. I needed to introduce a lot of extra characters which become extremely important later on. I will hopefully get the next chapter up sometime tomorrow, I do have a friend coming over but hopefully I can get some writing done. I'm really sorry that is sounds so amateurish. I have so many good ideas, that I feel will get ruined by my bad writing.**

**Please review guys. I really need the advice from you guys, I want to make this story so much better.**

**Thanks to Little_miss- it was great to get a message from you. Please give me some advice and criticism to make this story so much better.**

**Thanks guys**

**Xx**


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